One of the most important chronicles of the Marianas during the late 1600s will soon be available to the public in English.

"History of the Mariana Islands," written by Charles Le Gobien, a French Jesuit priest, in Paris in 1700, is one of the first history books written about the region.

On Wednesday, the University of Guam Press will launch an English translation of the book where the book's editor Alexandre Coello de la Rosa will Skype in from Barcelona for the introductory remarks.

The launch also will feature a panel discussion featuring associate professor Omaira Brunal-Perry, who manages the Micronesian Area Research Center's Spanish Documents Collection, and assistant professor of Chamorro Studies James Perez Viernes.

The book has offered a detailed peek into a tumultuous and critically significant period in the Marianas, a time commonly referred to as the Spanish-Chamorro Wars, Victoria-Lola Leon Guerrero, managing editor of UOG Press explains.

"This present edition stems from a manuscript preserved in the Arxiu de la Companyia de Jesus a Catalunya, in Barcelona, which was attributed to Father Luis de Morales, who had been part of the Jesuit mission to the Marianas," she says. "Thus, this text calls into question the authorship of Father Le Gobien, not only because the French Jesuit never stepped foot in the Marianas, but also because his text is based on reports, relations and letters written by other fellow Jesuits, among whom was Father Morales."

There's no doubt, Coello de La Rosa says, Le Gobien counted on the Annual Letters and other reports by Spanish Jesuits who were stationed in the archipelago.

“He probably wrote the final version of the book but he was not the intellectual author,” he says.

To produce the English translation, Coello de la Rosa conducted research in national and international archives that stretched through Spain, Rome and even at the MARC. It took a year to complete, he says.

“I think the translation of such an important book will provide an opportunity to Guamanians to get to know a crucial moment of their history that will allow them to transcend nationalistic, longitudinal and teleological structures and comprehend a horizontal, transnational (that is, comparative) and transimperial history on the Pacific Ocean,” he says. “In short, I hope Chamorros may appreciate this scholarly contribution to the history of the Marianas.”

Leon Guerrero hopes having the book in English will inspire more to write about that important part of the island's history, a book which includes text from Hurao's speech and other mentions of different Chamorro chief leaders who fought the Spanish.

"What makes this book really interesting is that the editor Dr. Coello, really takes a look at the conversations about the book in Europe at the time and why it was written," Leon Guerrero says. "He even says it was like a bestseller there. It's also interesting in terms of understanding the motivation behind the writing because the writing is from a certain point of view. But it's almost a first-person account having being written by Morales who was here and what was happening during the Chamorro-Spanish wars. That's a really important part of our history. It's so integral in shaping Guam after."

"This is text that a lot of scholars have referenced and used," she says. "This text really gives you view of some Spanish priests' perspectives and what was happening here in the late 1600s. We'd eventually like to do a reader for it where we ask different scholars to write their own reactions or ideas about the text because there's so many things contained in it. It would be interesting to get different perspectives."

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